Will Diesels Hit the High Road?
In this day and age of truly outrageous gasoline prices, surely the development of a technology that would deliver 20- to 50-percent better fuel economy than the gasoline engines we currently use would be hailed as a breakthrough and perhaps even a miracle. If that technology would further enable us to use the fuel delivery infrastructure that is already open for business, that miracle would be all the greater. Well, that miracle is here, and it stands ready to be enjoyed by all. The big question is: Does anybody care?

You Don't Know Beans
While the media has followed the success of the Toyota Prius gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle, it has been virtually silent on the success of the Jeep Liberty CRD diesel, which comes pre-filled with a mixture of conventional diesel oil and biodiesel. While sales of the Liberty CRD have been more modest than the Prius (just 10,000 units versus the Prius's 100,000+) the Liberty's sales figure has been double DaimlerChrysler's projections. And it indicates that, against odds, there could be a growing U.S. market for diesel-powered vehicles, especially in light of the potential benefits of biodiesel, which has environmental advantages and can help wean the U.S. off foreign oil.